TRAVEL IN 2017

#1 Instant Gratification

Travellers expect to be able to plan their holiday in a few simple taps of their smart phone and increase their use of travel apps in 2017. With this, we’re increasingly looking to technology to eradicate any and all on-the-road niggles, deliver answers to our specific needs in the moment and enhance our experience with recommendations and shortcuts we haven’t even thought of.

#2 Getting to Business

The ‘bleisure’ boom is well and truly underway, and 2017 will see a further upswing not only in the blurring lines between leisure and business travel, but in the value we attach to workplace travel opportunities. So much so that travellers would even accept a lower paid job if it meant they could travel more for work!

#3 Appetite to Discover

The discovered world has many undiscovered places and 2017 promises to see travellers unleashing their inner explorer like never before. Whether it’s trekking into a remote mountain village or finding a gem of a guest house on the other side of tracks, we’re seeing evidence all round of an ever-growing appetite to embrace undiscovered environments in an authentic way.

#4 Mind, Body and Soul

In a hectic world, people are increasingly seeing travel as a way to bring balance back into their lives. The coming year will see many travellers prioritising health conscious trips that promise harmony for the mind, body and soul. In the meantime, accommodations across the world are upgrading their offerings to match this growing demand. In 2017, it won’t be uncommon to find a diverse range of SanctuStays.

#5 Go Green or Stay Home

There’s no denying the trend for both travellers and accommodations becoming more environmentally and sustainably aware as well as responsible. This mirrors the way in which people are increasingly finding ways to fulfil their aesthetic travel needs while maintaining cultural and environmental integrity by taking longer, more scenic routes and modes of transport. Eco-friendly stays are no longer the preserve of the few, but an expectation of the many.

#6 Simple Pleasures

Travellers in 2017 will be inspired by their own aspirations rather than material possessions. Travellers are also becoming less interested in fancy embellishments and more interested in the small moments and simple pleasures of a journey.

#7 The Human Touch

2017 travellers are starting to understand that human touch is irreplaceable and crave this human interaction to make their holiday memorable. As a result, we can expect to see meaningful human interactions becoming the currency of travel in the months ahead, prompting huge advances in chat bot technology to match the warmth, personality and spontaneity of real human communication and connections.

#8 Fly Me to the Moon

It’s unsurprising that we are starting to see people’s desires to explore go beyond this world. The merging of technology with the increasing desire to travel into the unknown is leading to many innovations and travel advances in 2017. While space tourism remains a work in progress, trips to some of the darker recesses of earth’s oceans are well underway. High-speed rail continues to advance and is scheduled to connect travellers to the remote corners of northern Africa.